Timber Souls
by Alice Lanica
Summary: Meet Jack and Charles, a female weapon and male meister who are writing a new legend into the DWMA. Well, that was the plan until the two stumbled into a rather unfortunate situation involving a witch, a weapon and a harem. Reviews welcomed!
1. Chapter 1

**- Chapter 1: Dear Jack -**

Jack was excited. Her heart was pumping. In her hands lay a letter that had changed her life from zero to potential hero. It was her confirmation alert that she had been accepted as a demon weapon to the DWMA. This would be her last day, nay hour, in her small log cabin shack. It had caged her potential for too long, although she knew she would miss it. It just matched her name so well that saying goodbye was rather depressing. Jack was short for Lumberjack and it wasn't due to a large stature or manly appearance - which would be considered ironic if one ever saw jack - but rather because her transformation was a massive lumberjack ax. It was as to be expected: A wooden handle and a bright red blade with the exception near the edge that was a line of silver. The only difference was that from butt to blade, Jack stood taller than a grown man. She was proud of her morph and would show anyone who asked, and some who didn't. It even matched her in her human form, finding that her hair was exactly the same shade of red. She had a bit of a tan, but not much, so her handle looked much like pine.

From her hermit home in the woods, her legs took to the big city. While the trip was long, it passed by quickly. Her mind was bubbling over with all her expectations and hopes. She could imagine her meister. He would be a tall man, brave and confident. His muscles compared only to the gods and his thirst for adventure never quenched. Their victories sung across the land as she became a death scythe and he, a hero. For better or worse, Jack obviously had a vivid imagination. It came into full view when she imagined her in weapon form resting on the great shoulder of her giant man as they stood atop a cliff. Wind sweeping through his gorgeous locks as his dark eyes watched carefully for any threats. _That_ was the life Jack wanted. But like most good things, a few surprises were bound to arise. The first came when she entered the city.

After all the stories the weapon had heard about cities, she was extremely disappointed. In summary, it looked dirty and plain. Garbage laid on a few street corners and the windows on many buildings were smudged. If she had known more about the communication methods that the DWMA employed, it may have been made clear to her why all the windows had been dirtied. Yet, Jack was too much of a novice to know, so instead she was just left with an empty feeling in her heart which made her question all her other dreams. Her mind had even gone so far as to assume that maybe she had not even been accepted as a weapon to the school. Perhaps her letter was too good to be true after-all and she would be told to promptly leave. Although that fear began to consume her thoughts, it didn't quite stop the young maiden from her journey. It did slow her feet though which only gave her more time contemplate all the ways in which things could go wrong. Admits the whirl wind of worries and fears, she had ignored a vital part she didn't even consider which would surface very soon. For now, her little feet would pull her up the many steps of the academy and into a whole new life.

Thankfully, the school was as she was expecting. It was well kept and full. Numerous students buzzed in the hall, most in pairs, and wandering about. They all seemed to have found their place here and work working hard to achieve the ultimate goal. Upon seeing this glory, all worries had washed away from Jack. She would have followed a few of them just to see more about this place. That ideas was cut short by a voice.

It was strange sounding, almost silly to her, but she knew it would command respect once she turned around to see the source. It was the Grim Reaper, the ruler of the school. "So, you must be the new demon weapon, Jack. Welcome to the DWMA! Get ready to roll up your sleeve and get to work! Let's go find your meister!" He seemed almost as joyful as Jack did. Her face lit up like the sun. It was true. This was her dream come true and nothing, NOTHING, could break down her spirits. Following Death – perhaps figuratively as well – Jack was lead into a large ballroom. It was brimming with people from all sorts of walks of life. Each person had their own little name-tag showing that they were either a weapon or a meister. "Well then, here you go." He offered her a similar name-tag and pressed it onto her forehead. While slightly uncomfortable, her eyes had caught onto the most wonderful man ever. His body sculpted to perfection with rippling pectorals beautiful and inspiring triceps. His tanned skin glistened in the room light and his green eyes pools of beauty. If she were a poet, her descriptions of his beauty would make even the angels cry. He turned to face her and she could see his name tag called him "Trace". "Baby, I would trace that outline with mah body." She murmured under her breath as she was swept towards him; however, something wasn't right. Jack could feel it in her bones. There was a pulse and it swept over it. The beat was a frequency she had only ever been told about: her soul frequency.

Hers started to react, which meant it had been met by its equal. While she had hoped it had been from Trace, her body would make a one-eighty and face a rather unexpected mate. Jack would have described him as a feminine man. He was a taller boy with a lean body. Not exactly skinny, but not that muscle man she typically adored. His eyes were a dark black - which were the only things that really struck her. He had his blonde hair cut into a stylish messy cut, and his alabaster skin was absolutely flawless. She had expected a man from her neck of the woods, instead she got a man who had never even been touched by the sun. Yet, when their hands met, their fate was more or less sealed. Instantly it felt right, and she fell into her morph. Within seconds, the boy would be standing there proud with a massive axe over his shoulder. "Aha, I guess I can finally be that axe murderer I've been dreaming about." He laughed with a rather smooth voice before catching his reflection in one of the windowpanes. "Gotta admit, I look pretty good as a lumberjack."

"You mean with a lumberjack." Jack murmured back as she watched the man wink at himself in the mirror. The response made the man retort back with one eyebrow raised, "Aha, lumberjack? Sounds like someone got a sex change." He had shifted himself so he could see a better angle. It didn't take long for the ax to comment, "According to at that ass, it must have been you." The man would have calmly retaliated had Death not stepped in, "Settle down, kids. You're just starting your new life as a team! Although that did take as long as I was expecting. Strange. Oh well, I should probably recommend a few things to get you guys on your feet. It's always best for a team to spend a lot of time together, therefore, Jack, you should probably go live with Charles. He's been in town for a few months now so he's settled in. Next, practice, practice, practice! And if that's all, good luck! See you in class tomorrow!" His large white hand waved to them briefly before he began to mosey around through the room. His skull face searching through the crowd and talking to a few other students.

When he left, both students just simply watched him move around. Jack quickly transformed and was the first to talk, "Do you think he actually looks like that, or do you think he's a guy dressed up in a costume?" There was a small pause before Charles answered, "Jack, he's a god. It doesn't even matter." After that, both grew silent and just watched him. It wasn't until he finally withdrew from the ballroom that Charles spoke again, "Anyways, if we're going to live together, there are a few ground rules. One: if there's a sock on a door, don't go in. Two: Clean up your own mess. Three: If we skip class, we gotta do it together."

Jack looked at him in confusion as she moved to pull off the sticker on her head, "What? Why would you skip class? This is the best opportunity we could ever ask for. What the hell could be more exciting?" This answer created a sly grin to appear on Charles's lips. He bent towards the girl and whispered in her ear, "Going shopping." The weapon wrinkled her brow as she tried to understand that. At a literal standpoint, it was a terrible second option. If it was some sexual innuendo that she didn't understand, it was an even worse one. Either way, she just sighed and followed Charles out. Before leaving the room, she took one last look at the gorgeous man of Trace; but, there was something different. He was standing proud with a large spiked mace over one shoulder. He chuckled loudly as the weapon transformed into a small blonde with next to nothing on. It made Jack's blood boil as they both laughed together in joy. She would have gone over to say something had Charles not grabbed onto her elbow and pulled her out, "C'mon, lumber-girl, we got things to do." And with that, Jack was swept away into a whole new adventure to take on.


	2. Chapter 2

**- Chapter 2: Let's Go -**

The night was unsettling. Jack had tried to sleep but found it difficult between her waves of excitement. Tomorrow would be her first day at the academy and all that was left in her was overwhelming joy. Her dream had become a reality. All the pieces were coming together, with the exception of her rather unusual partner. But that could be fixed. All weapons could change their meister in time and she knew that hers existed bearing the name 'Trace'. Wriggling on the couch Charles had let her take roost on, she continued to pass through her thoughts. Her toes curling around the blanket as her red hair laid scattered against the armrest. Her eyes had finally begun to flutter when the front door burst open.

The woman curled herself forward so she could see the door. It was Charles and an unfamiliar man. The boys appeared to be giggling amongst themselves while playfully tapping each other on the shoulders. It made Jack a little awkward, but more so when she saw her meister grab the man's hand and wink. He had a sly smile on his lips as he pulled his company away to his room. The two disappeared behind the door just after Charles took a brief moment to look at Jack, wink, and gesture for silence. Jack just stared at him before slipping back into the folds of the furniture.

The woman wasn't sure how to approach his situation. It was uncommon for her to see two men together. In truth, it was a whole new situation for her to see them together. It hadn't even passed her mind that the well groomed male could have been homosexual. It didn't really bother her, so much as made her curious. She began to question how many other males had the same preference. Perhaps her dream man would be similar. The thought was discouraging. Then the awkward situation turned unbearable when she heard the faint sound of slapping. She knew that it was skin on skin action happening behind that door, which context was confirmed when the new man started crying out Charles's name. "That escalated quickly..." Jack murmured as she shifted uncomfortably on the couch. The grunts and slapping grew more intense and that was when the weapon had heard her fill. Taking in a deep and uneasy breath, Jack tiptoed from the living room and made her way to the balcony. After sealing the door behind her, the noises were replaced with the night life.

The air was silent and only filled with the odd set of footstep or rustling of garbage. It was so different from her home where the night of the forest was louder than the day. There was a strange peace in it that made Jack's mind calm. The events occurring inside didn't matter to her, although it had been a shock initially. Reflecting on it further, Jack realized that a change in meister would be the best thing for her. It wasn't his sexually that she necessarily disagreed with; however, it was one of the main factors that would prevent her ideal training relationship to occur. In her mind, there needed to be romance. Hot, passionate romance that was inspired through hardship and near-death experiences. Even just the thought caused a wistful sigh to slip past her lips. If this was his life, well, she wished him the best. It just wasn't what she wanted. Filing through these thoughts, her mind began to slow, her eyes became tired and Jack fell asleep on the balcony's floor.

"Hey, Lumber, get up." The voice shook Jack awake as she groaned and turned over. Her eyes met with Charles's as he knocked on the glass of the door. "So much for getting up early for school, huh? Hurry up. We'll be late." The man just left the door open as she picked up the towel hung around his shoulders and rubbed it against his hair. "Uuuuuuhg," The woman muttered as she pulled herself up into a sitting position. Her attention moved to the ground below where a several people were passing by. They appeared her age, and one seemed infinitely more familiar. "Trace..." The woman whispered under her breath. Beside him skipped the thin woman, still dressed as if she were going swimming. Again, a pang of jealousy rose from within her. This was not all bad, however. The intense feeling gave rise to ambition which inspired her to action. Her body moved inside the apartment and hastily got ready. Breakfast is what took the longest time, but it gave her some time to understand Charles better. He had been kind enough to make it for her after-all.

"So, about last night, I suppose I should have warned you about my, uh, promiscuity. I have some fun, here or there, with a few people. It won't be such a big issue when your room is furnished since there is more sound insulation there. For now, well I'll try to slow down." He gave her a sly grin, "Unless you want to join. I, at least, have some good WOOD for you, Lumberjack." His smile beamed which indicated that he was proud of his pun.

Jack waited a brief moment before answering, "I'm not sure if I should take you seriously or not. I wouldn't exactly call myself your type from last night." Charles raised an eyebrow as he watched the bacon on pan sizzle, "My TYPE? Strange. I'm not sure you even know what my type is. You know, assumptions are dangerous." He didn't look bothered at all, holding his normal, charming composition. "But I'm sure you'll learn in time. Now eat up." He smiled to her before offering the girl her breakfast. Both meals were eaten, and before Jack knew it, they were at the school and in class.

Three days passed without incident. Jack and Charles had begun to find a small rhythm in their partnership, although it was still strained. At home, the weapon's room was swiftly finished and Charles had another male visitor, dissimilar to the first. Thankfully, the walls of her room prevented any more awkward moments. When the fourth day rolled around, Charles missed class. He had failed to come to the second class and the third. While uneasy, thankfully Jack hadn't been deprived of much. The classes didn't revolve about practical methods and she was able to participate fully. It was after meeting Charles in the fourth class that Jack able to find out why.

"Hey, hey Lumber." The man whispered while drawing closer to Jack. "It's Jack. Why weren't you around for history and defensive methods? I thought we only skipped together." The boy just grinned at her before placing a hand on her thigh. It made her straighten up. The hand was quickly pulled again and what was left was a piece of paper. Trying to avoid looking suspicious, Jack slipped her hand to grab it and quickly peaked at it. Only one name stood out: 'Bloody Mary'.

"What is this?" Jack muttered while their teacher gave the two a firm look. This failed to deter Charles, "It's a mission to kill Bloody Mary. She's an oppressive queen that has been killing her followers ruthlessly. Some call her crazy. I guess we'll find out." The weapon stared at him for a while before asking, "Did you get it approved?" The man just shrugged. "Approved? Sure." It didn't inspire any confidence in her and would have argued more had the teacher not called out both their names to stay after class. 'Great.' She thought.

Jack and Charles stayed after class to clean the chalk board erasers. While annoying, it gave them time to talk. "So, you didn't get it approved, didja?" Jack asked bluntly while forcing two brushes together. Charles just smiled, "Not exactly. But what are they going to do if we take it?" The weapon gave her partner a pained look, "Seriously? If it was this easy, all meisters would do it. There's a catch beyond possible death. You know, like expulsion." "Stop worrying. I know a few people in this school. Why don't you think we're in dorms right now? Because I have some strings to pull. It's fine. You can handle it, can't you?" He teased, nudging her slightly in the arm. "Hey, hey. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for doing it. I just want credit for it." With that, the last brush of hers was done. Charles finished soon after. "I promise you I have this. So, what are you waiting for? Let's go." Jack gave him a long stare before recognizing that he was serious. "Fine. Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

**- Chapter 3: Nailed -**

"You sure this is alright?" Jack murmured while looking very suspiciously at Charles who just brushed her off, "Of course - unless you're scared. You know I'd understand. The legend of Bloody Mary may be scary for a little girl like you." A wink would follow, which in turn, would cause the girl to sigh, "Maybe if you were the thing slicing through flesh you'd feel differently. Plus, if things get bad, I don't trust you'll stick around, then what am I gotta do? Throw myself at them?" "You do that to Trace anyways." Another wink. Banter such as this was exchanged for the next two hours as their trip ensued.

Upon the arrival, Jack was stunned. The two had arrived at a ghost town. The eerie silence sent goosebumps up her spin. "So, this is it?" Charles nodded and motioned for her to move forward. The two stepped cautiously into the town. The more Jack looked around, the more she felt uneasy. The buildings looked old but there wasn't any damage to be seen. The dirt roads had obvious signs of foot traffic and there were fresh vegetables on the farm land. This place was clearly not abandoned, but the lack of people to be seen seemed contradictory. "What...what is her bio again, Charles?" The young man took a breath and kept a wary eye on their surroundings, "She's the queen of this little town, but crazy as they come. She has murdered half of her subjects under the claim that they were heretics. Only problem is, heretics of what? We're not really sure. She's just that crazy." "You picked this mission why?" Charles smiled, "Because I have a thing for crazy women. I think it explains why I like you so much." Jack rolled her eyes. But then, the mood went cold. They heard someone laugh.

The bellowing of the laughter was loud and feminine. It would be considered the laugh of an evil scientist had Jack's life pertained more to comic book. Instead, the madness was from power. If the two were given the chance to see her castle, they would have stumbled upon a diary of her first servant, Olivia. It would have told about a woman being attacked at a young age and overcompensating her whole life to find safety. Her desperation creating a monster that murdered any threat she felt. Even those that posed nothing against her would be painfully slaughtered as if killing was a soothing mechanism instead of a heinous crime. Her evil soul would slowly mutate the once beautiful woman's body into that of a disgusting creature. That story, however, would remain in the depth of her castle. The fate of these two fighters had another path to go instead.

The laughter was replaced by words, vile sounding words spoken by a hissing tongue, "Ssssso, I ssssee my town hassss company. I've been waiting sssso long. Have you come to bow at my feet? But I ssssee no ssssacrifice." The voice fluctuated deeper at the end as a figure slithered out from behind one of the buildings ahead. It was only there for a brief second, but appeared to be long and had several appendages shaking on its body. The form would disappear behind another building as the voice picked up again, "Have you brought a sssssacrifice? Which one ssshould it be? Which one ssshould I add to my...collection?" Jack took Charle's hand and held it tightly. She was nervous. Even just the sound of this monster's movement was alarming. It sent several clicks and clacks into the air while the sound of grinding followed.

"It's okay." Charles whispered, "Let's do this." Jack nodded and began her transformation. Her form slipped into the axe in a flash. This movement appeared to annoy their target which in turn reeled in the distance, "Sssso, you plan on taking my throne. They sssend a bunch of kidsss to take on the great Mary! Ahaha," The monster than broke into mad laughter again as her body picked up speed. The creature then appeared behind them and Charles turned to meet it face to face.

Setting his dark eyes on its body, he was disgusted. It had the face of a young woman with a smile etched into her features, but everything else was a mess of body pieces. Her own form had no limbs. It was just a neck that stretched wider and longer. But nailed into its skin were arms of all sorts. Some so old they had decomposed into just bones, which explained the clicking when she moved. Pouncing, the creature screeched and barred its fangs. The arms attached to it reached forward in unison. Charles reacted and brought up Jack in a solid slice. It took off three arms as the creature recoiled and cried in pain. Charles, which had his characteristic smile on his lip, gave an answer, "Not used to having your subjects fight back, eh?" The beast cried back in anger before charging forward. Charles took aim again. His back leg was slightly too far back. When the attack came, it threw him off his center and he missed, along with almost being side-swiped by a boney hand.

"Watch it! This isn't some test dummy from class. Don't treat this like a joke." Jack cried out while watching the on-goings from below her weaponed mask. "Heh, calm down Lumber. Trust me." It fell out in a calm manner, yet, inside his heart was racing, "I can do this." This was the most fear Charles had ever felt – but also the most excitement. This was what he had been waiting for all his life and now he could make his name known. When Mary had finally turned herself around to face the young man, Charles was ready. The two met eyes and the charge began. Charles grunted as he pulled back his arm for a swing as Mary laughed like a maniac. Taking his swing, the boy aimed for the head. The red blade came down but the creature shifted its angle at the last moment, causing the axe to come down on the creature's right side just below the neck. It slicked down, almost chopping the head clean off. Although this moment was the creature's most devastating blow, it gave it the opportunity it needed.

The creature ended up twisting back its to bite into the leg of Charles. In a split second, the boy forced the butt of the axe downwards so that the monster's fangs wrapped around the weapon. The force from the movement supplied Mary with a powerful headbutt under the boy's legs and sent him tumbling. His hands were ripped from Jack as he rolled away. His limp form finally took rest near one of the huts. While down, Charles was not yet out. His left leg was certainly bruised, if not broken, but with a grunt and a deep breath, he stood. His dark eyes flickered to see Jack still wedged between the creature's jaws. It was coiling back and forth, trying to get the axe handle out of its mouth but it appeared too wide for its fangs to reach back around. This sent a smile to Charles's lips and speed to his legs.

Running forward, the man reached out for the handle close to the blade and jumped forward, forcing the red metal to come crashing down onto its neck. The blade ripped through skin and bones. The nailed arms reached out and grabbed onto Charles, but the blow had already hit. The torque behind it was so powerful that it knocked out one of the fangs from Mary as she reeled and screamed. It was too late. The neck was cut through and her head tumbled. The body of the monster disappeared into a small ball that bounced back and forth before finally coming to rest on the ground. It was done.

Popping back into human form, Jack fell onto her knees. Her hands held up her head as she took in a deep breath. It was time for her to calm down. As her heart slowed, the girl stood up and shuffled over to the evil soul. Her tender hands gripping onto the floating item before Charles snuck up behind her. "So, Lumber, eat up before it gets cold." He smirked and placed a hand on her shoulder. Jack gave a modest grin before slipping the purple soul behind her lips and swallowing. It was an awkward feeling, almost slimy, and then it was gone. "One down, ninety-eight to go. But that felt close. When you went down, I just...I got nervous." Charles laughed, "Well thankfully you were so fat that she couldn't spit you out, aha." Jack elbowed the man hard with a snarky grunt. Charles keeled over in response and laughed, "Worth it."

"So what now, big shot? We go home and get someone to tell us we did a good job?" Jack asked with smirk while reaching upwards to crack her back. Charles shrugged, "We could, or we could look around for a while. My informant hasn't talked with Death yet so we may want to lay low for a bit." The weapon glared at him, "You didn't get anyone's permission, did you?" She only got a smile back. "Well then, Mr. Dependable, I guess that means we look around. Speaking of which...want to see what we can find in the houses? I want to see if there are any survivors." Again Charles shrugged, "Sure."

The first three houses seemed unimportant. All the items and furniture appeared undisturbed, indicating that there was no struggle. It was odd to them. They knew where part of their bodies had ended up, and yet, it was as if the people didn't fight it. Neither one accepted that these people simply put themselves into the slaughter, thus, they began to formulate ideas to what happened here instead. But after leaving the last house, a clue came into view. It was a woman who was humming to herself and picking up some pieces off the ground from the couple's battle.

She was well developed, with glorious curves and long blue hair that was swept into a braid. She had brown skin and light blue eyes. She caught Charles's attention right away while Jack looked to her suspiciously. Charles, of course, was the first one to address her, "Why hello there, miss...?"

The new woman turned her gaze to the meister with a closed mouth grin before saying, "Miss April Von Mittens! What can I do for you today?" The boy was about to make a response; however, Jack pushed him out of the way, "What are you doing here?" The woman didn't even bat an eyelash before replying, "I'm getting the things I need, silly! I've been wanting a monster fang for a while and tahdah! You guys got it for me without a problem! Such smart kids!" She giggled while collecting her things into a small satchel tied to her hip. This was a warning sign to both kids. This woman was a witch.


End file.
